


Daffodils in autumn

by UntimelyAU



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bang Chan is a Good Friend, Character Death, Death, Fluff and Angst, Gay Panic, Han Jisung | Han & Hwang Hyunjin are Best Friends, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix are Soulmates, Han Jisung | Han has Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, Kim Seungmin & Yang Jeongin | I.N are Best Friends, Kim Seungmin is a Little Shit, Miami, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Sad, Seo Changbin Being an Asshole, Seo Changbin is a Mess, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, im sorry, leave it to florida to start the end of the world, they were on tour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26490997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UntimelyAU/pseuds/UntimelyAU
Summary: In movies zombies were always described as dead, ruthless, flesh-eating beings. Who would have thought that the movie depictions of these awful beast were true. And what a shame that StrayKids have to find out first hand.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Daffodil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last night of their tour, there's no way anything could go wrong, right?

**_August 24, 2021 Miami, Florida_ **

The cheers from Stay were as loud as ever as the eight boys of StrayKids stood in their dressing room, listening intently to their manager as he spoke, informing them of their plans for that evening. “As soon as you leave the stage at the end of the concert, please get dressed into something comfortable, Then make your way out to the vans, alright? The hotel isn’t close and I don’t want you uncomfortable on the drive.” He explained, “When we get to the hotel, shower quickly and pack up, we have an extremely early flight to catch. You can sleep on the plane. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” They all chorused. 

“Good,” He smiled, “Are you boys ready? Are you excited?”

“There is absolutely no way we couldn’t be excited right now. Do you hear Stay?” Chan spoke softly, a proud smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Stay’s were the group's pride and joy. Hearing them could immediately change the mood of any situation into a bright one, so saying the boys were excited was in reality, an understatement.

Their manager just chuckled before running his fingers through his short dark hair, “Hm, Okay boys. I’ll leave you to do the last of what you need to. You’re on in two.” He spoke before turning on his heels and leaving the eight boys alone in the dressing room. 

Once their manager was gone, Chan moved to huddle himself along with the other seven members together in a tight circle, where they all gathered their hands in the center. “It's the last concert of the tour, are you all excited?” Chan asked, his tone soft, but his voice loud. The seven boys just nodded their heads, content with just listening to their leader speak. “I know it has been hard but we're so very lucky that this tour was even possible. Especially with the state the world was in not even a year ago. But now here, all eight of us stand. About to perform our last concert of the _GO LIVE IN LIFE_ tour. I cannot express how proud I am to call you all my members. You guys have come so far-”

“You’ve come so far too, Channie hyung.” Jeongin spoke up, cutting off the older from where he stood in the circle, opposite their selfless leader. 

“Yeah,” Felix added, “Besides I don’t think any of us would be standing here without your help.” Felix added, using his free hand to pat the eldest on the shoulder. 

Chan's smile only grew more as he listened to his members, and he looked around, making eye contact with each one of them before speaking again, “StrayKids have come so far… Let's make tonight one of the best. For both us and Stay’s.”

The eight of them quickly cheered and threw down their hands just in time to hear the fans in the stadium begin chanting their names. 

“Let’s get it!” Jisung shouted as he bounded out of the room and towards the stage. However he was quick to trip seeing as he had forgotten to tie his shoelaces before running out. Hyunjin however grabbed onto his arm just in time, preventing what could have been a giant pile of StrayKids members on the floor. Jisung thanked Hyunjin before bending down to start tying his laces. After witnessing this exchange, Changbin laughed loudly while continuing past the younger boys, but Seungmin just looked down at his shoes, double checking that he did indeed tie them. Once his shoes were tied, Jisung trailed behind his other members as the beginning of _Go_ started to play through the loudspeakers. Quickly they took their positions as Changbin Began his rap.

The rest of the concert went rather smoothly, ending with the eight boys crying their eyes out while saying their endingments. They each bowed over ten times each, wishing that they could thank each member of the audience personally. 

Tears of sadness were mixed with tears of joy as the members of StrayKids turned away from their fans and walked off stage, Chan holding onto his fellow Aussie. The cheers from Stay were louder than their own thoughts as they all walked back to the dressing room, making them wish that they could stay a bit longer. 

“Alright boys, Han, Hyunjin, Felix and Seungmin in the second car.” Their manager explained as they entered the room, all heading towards their respective clothes, “Chan, Changbin, Jeongin and Minho, you all are in the first car with me. You have five minutes, see you in the car.” He explained before leaving the boys to do what they needed to. He knew that they were all very emotional at the moment, so he made sure to exit as quietly as he could.

“Don’t worry, we’ll see Stay’s again soon.” Chan spoke softly, while ruffling his fellow Aussies hair. The boy still clinging to his side. “No more crying all right. That goes for all of you.”

Silently, they all nodded their heads and wiped the remaining tears from their faces, before reaching for their clothes and changing. Both Jeongin and Minho almost falling over while changing out of their tight jeans. Luckily, their members were able to catch them before any serious bruising could be done. In a matter of four minutes all eight members were dressed comfortably- well as comfortable as they could get- and walking towards the vans. 

They split up rather quickly, the 2000 line going to the second car just as they were told, and the other four going to the first. In the first car Chan was sitting in the passenger seat next to their manager who was driving, and decided he would keep the other company while the others presumably fell asleep. Both Minho and Jeongin took the two seats in the middle row, knocking out pretty much as soon as they sat down, leaving the back row for Changbin to enjoy on his own. Which the male was quite grateful for, seeing as he could now stretch out his legs and relax more comfortably.

In the second car none of them sat up front with the driver. Hyunjin was first into the van and decided to go straight to the back, falling asleep as soon as he buckled his seat belt. Seungmin, being second to get in, decided he would sit next to his sleepy friend. Allowing the other to lay his head on his shoulder to sleep more comfortably, while he put in his earphones and played Day6, opting to nap with his favorite artist playing in the background. Jisung and Felix were left to sit in the middle row, chatting about anything and nothing. 

Just like that the cars took off. Due to the rise in sasaeng fans their hotel was nowhere near close to the stadium, so they had about an hour drive, enough for most of the members to take very well needed and deserved naps. 

Everything was calm as they drove down the dark and empty streets outside the city. The rain was heavy as it hit the windows and roof of the vans obnoxiously loud, waking a few members with its sound. As the rain got heavier, it got harder for the drivers to see the road, which meant they had to be extra careful.

“Oh Hyung-nim,” Chan Spoke, catching the attention of his manager, “The rain is quite heavy... Are you sure you can see well right now?” 

Their manager just chuckled however, smiling lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ve driven through worse.”

…

Jisung sighed as his phone screen turned black as he was showing Felix one of his favorite memes. “It died…” He whined, furrowing his eyebrows and jutting out his bottom lip. 

“That's alright, we can use mine.” Felix smiled while reaching to pull his phone out of his pocket. However while doing so, the car jerked, before spinning and in a matter of seconds, hit a nearby tree.

It was all so fast. 

Waking up the two sleeping members and causing the two very much conscious members to go into panic and shock as they were jerked around with the force of the car. Seungmin and Hyunjin were both very unsuspecting, and were tossed forwards at basically the speed of when the car came into contact with the tree. Leaving a very uncomfortable pain in their necks as they moved to unbuckle, and check on the other two.

Felix was thrown forward, and to the right, just nearly missing hitting his head on the driver's seat in front of him. However with his hand still reaching for his phone in his pocket, and the unnatural ways the car was thrown about, he could have sworn he heard something pop. But just in case he thought he imagined it, the pain he felt in his wrist was very much real. 

Jisung, thrown around in the same fashion as Felix, missed his head on the seat in front of him, but that was the extent of his luck as his body was tossed to the right. His head came in contact with the window before once again going forward as the car hit the tree. However he felt as though his body could not register the pain, as he sat in his seat unmoving. 

“Felix are you alright?” Hyunjin spoke aloud, panic evident in his voice.“Are you four alright?” The driver asked from the front of the van after apologizing profusely. 

“I’m not sure.” Seungmin answered honestly, “I can’t speak for them but I think I just got whiplash? But I think felix hurt his arm or hand, or something. And Jisung won’t respond to me…”

“What do you mean, won’t respond to you?”

“Like- he looks awake, and he looks like he’s in pain, but I tried to ask and he won't respond.” Seungmin explained, his worried eyes trailing from Jisung to Hyunjin, in hopes that the other would know what was wrong with their friend.

“I’ll help Felix out of the car, and check his wrist. You two help get Jisung out. The others will probably turn around as soon as they realize we are not following them anymore.” The driver explained as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. He quickly made his way to Felix's door and opened, helping the smaller boy unbuckle and get out of the car himself, all while holding tightly onto his arm. 

“Jisung? Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked, moving up to the seat where Felix was sitting just moments ago. Slowly Jisung brought his hand to the side of his head and shut his eyes tightly before taking a deep breath. “Do you know what happened?”

“We- Oh my god, are you guys okay?” Jisung’s eyes widened as he spoke, a bit frantic after realization hit him. 

“I think Felix hurt his wrist but that's the worst of it, unless you’re hurt worse?” Sungmin replied, his voice soft as he placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. 

Jisung turned to look up at him and Hyunjin, smiling lightly. “I just hit my head pretty hard on the window, I think. Along with the obvious whiplash… And slight panic. But i’m okay now!” 

“I'm glad your legs aren’t hurt cause we were kinda told to leave the car.” Hyunjin smiled lightly, before moving to unbuckle Jisung’s seatbelt for him. The boy smiled gratefully, before furrowing his eyebrows as a pain shot through his head. He brought his hand up to his head and shut his eyes tightly. Hyunjin frowned before exiting the car himself and going to Jisung’s side and opening the door, where Seungmin was previously sat.

Swiftly he reached out, grabbing onto Jisung’s right arm, helping the boy steady himself as he exited the vehicle. The raindrops soaked through the boys shirts as they fell from the sky. The boys were making their way to where they saw Felix and the driver sitting on the grass. "Felix? Oh my god, are you okay?" Jisung asked, allowing Hyunjin to help him sit down on the grass next to the silver haired boy.

"I really hurt my wrist." He cried aloud, a few tears rolling down his cheeks in the process, allowing them to mix in with the raindrops that splashed his face as they fell from the sky.

"I'm so sorry, Lixie…" Jisung frowned looking down at his friend's hand which the other was holding tight to his chest. Hyunjin sat on the other side of Felix and took his rather thin jacket off, offering to wrap Felix's wrist as best he could. Seungmin taking a seat on Jisungs left side, wanting to keep an eye on the boy just in case he lost balance.

Their driver stood a little closer to the road, phone by his ears as he spoke, probably, a little louder than necessary. And only a few moments later, blinding lights were in front of them, getting closer, until they stopped right in front of the group. In a matter of seconds, the doors swung open and four men piled out one after another and rushed to meet their bandmates.

"Are you okay?!" Jeongin shouted, as he rushed to the others, causing Jisung to flinch. His ever growing headache, making the poor boys voice boom through his mind, louder than necessary. 

"I don't think so-"

"Oh my god, you guys are soaked!" Minho shouted, as he leaned next to Jisung and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. 

Bangchan looked around quickly before spotting their manager and the other man speaking. Step by step he walked over to them, listening as they spoke, stopping as his manager turned to them. "You eight, carefully pile into the car. Seungmin, Hyunjin, Jisung and Felix, I'm gonna get you to the hospital for a check-up." He spoke softly, "This kind man is going to stay here and wait for a tow truck to arrive. Now come on, the sooner we get you all out of the rain, the better."

Chan nodded his head in complete understanding as he turned and walked back to his members. Slowly he leaned down next to Felix, who was still crying. "Felix…" He spoke.

The younger boy looked up to him, more tears welling in his eyes. "Channie Hyung, I think it's broken." Felix said aloud in his native language, knowing his eldest member would understand. The boy's deep voice cracked as he cried, "I think I broke my wrist, it hurts so bad."

Bangchan furrowed his eyebrows and bit his bottom lip. It was so clearly evident- how much pain his younger brother was in, and he hated the fact that he couldn't do anything to help. "I know it hurts Felix, but we're gonna go to the hospital now. Okay? We're gonna find out what's wrong. And fix it, then go home, okay?"

Felix nodded his head, allowing the older boy to grab his upper arms and help him to stand up. The boy shuddered as he realized just how cold he actually was, and he quickly leaned into the other males touch, trying to keep warm. 

Jisung and Minho were just in front of them as they walked to the car, however they all stopped when they noticed how Jisung swayed as he stepped closer. "Jisung? Are you alright?" Chan asked as he and Felix took another step closer to them.

"I- uh, yeah? No? I hit my head pretty hard on the window… So like- the world is kinda spinning… A little." The younger explained, "My head hurts. A Lot. Every little sound sends a wave of pain through my head…"

"You're almost to the car okay? Once inside you can rest some. No sleeping because you may have a concussion, but you can relax." Bangchan replied, looking the small boy up and down, trying to make sure there were no visible injuries that the other didn't point out. 

Everyone else was already in the car by the time they made it, all squished into the back. Jeongin’s eyes were full of tears, Hyunjin and Seungmin trying to reassure him that everything would be alright, and that they were all okay. Changbin was watching them intently, eyebrows furrowed as they made their way inside. Felix sat in the front seat next to their manager for the sake of his wrist. Nobody could accidentally hit it if he was sitting by himself. Jisung was sitting between their two eldest members, resting his head lightly on Minho's shoulder.

"Seungmin, Hyunjin, are you two okay?" Their manager spoke up from the driver's seat, waving goodbye to the boy's previous driver before pulling back onto the road. 

"I think it's just some pretty bad whiplash." Hyunjin answered, "The impact was at the front of the car and we sat in the back, so it wasn't as bad for us."

"I'm honestly surprised our driver walked away unscathed." Seungmin added, before looking at Jeongin and wiping away a few tears from his now red cheeks.

"When I talked to him, he said the air bag seriously reduced the amount of damage that he could have taken." Their manager explained, making sure he spoke softly for the sake of the resting male in the middle seat. 

The rest of the car ride was silent, minus the few sniffles from felix, Jisung and Jeongin, and the hushed words of comfort from the other members. In a matter of twenty long minutes they were pulling into the ER parking lot. 

It was all very quick, the eight boys and their manager making their way inside, taking a seat and then being taken back to a private room. It was a matter of minutes before a doctor came into the room to check up on them. 

Felix was easily able to explain his pain to the doctor, as he grew up speaking the language. After his explanation, the doctor called for a nurse who took him back for an x-ray; Changbin and Jeongin by his side to keep the boy company. 

Seungmin, and Hyunjin were quick to be dismissed as okay to leave without an extensive check-up and were given some pain medicine just in case they still were feeling the effects of the whiplash. For Jisung, the doctor decided it would be best if he got brain scans, just to make sure there was no serious damage that could affect the boy in the future or currently in his line of work. Pain medicine was quickly administered however, to help the boys growing headache subside. 

Before Jisung could get taken back for a brain scan, Felix was returning to the room with Changbin and Jeongin, arm wrapped up in a black cast, held to his chest with a sling. "Oh felix…" Bangchan hummed and stood up, going over to the boy to hug him lightly, being very considerate of his arm. 

"The nurse lady said it'll heal properly if I don't over exert myself. So I should be fully functioning in just a few months!" He smiled. His seemingly cheerful personality back again. 

"Well I'm glad you're not letting it get you down." Minho spoke as he stepped up to the boy, patting his head and smiling.

"The tour is over now too," Changbin added, "So realistically we can take this time as a break and work on more music for an even better comeback by the beginning of next year."

"But-"

"I think that's a great idea." Hyunjin said before Felix could try to argue the idea. 

"Yeah, and depending on what the results of Jisungs brain scans are, we might need a break anyway." Seungmin sighed, placing a hand on the aforementioned boy's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in reassurance. 

"Brain scans?" Jeongin repeated. 

"Yeah, The doctor wants to make sure he didn't suffer any serious brain damage after hitting his head." Minho replied, laying an arm around the youngest shoulders, wanting to ease his mind a little. "But it's mostly just a precaution."

Felix looked over to the only boy who had not gathered around him, still sitting on the probably uncomfortable hospital bed. His hands were resting on his lap and he kept his head down, not looking up at the scene in front of him. "Sungie~" Felix cooed out to his almost birthday buddy. He pushed past the small crowd his friends were creating and moved to stand directly in front of Jisung. "Buddy? What's wrong?" 

The boy in question just shook his head lightly, preferring not to answer vocally at the moment. Afraid that his voice would betray him. At that moment the doctor returned with their manager in tow. "Jisung, are you ready?" Their manager asked. He just nodded his head.

"Can we come with you?" Seungmin asked, but their manager quickly refused the idea.

"Only one person can join, and since Jisung is an adult, we'll let him decide." 

All seven of the boys looked at Jisung intently, their manager standing back watching all of them. Jisung finally looked up and eyed all of them before speaking up, "If it's alright, I'd like Manager-nim to go…"

Without any specific words of denial from the members, Jisung left the room with their manager and the doctor. "Jisung may I ask you a question." Manager spoke softly, from where he stood next to the younger one. The boy nodded his head and looked up at the man. By this show of acknowledgement, the older took it as his permission to continue. "Why didn't you want one of the members you're close with to come with you?"

"Ah…" Jisung hummed. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, so he took a moment to think; trying to wrack his brain with how he should word his next few sentences. "I don't mean to be grim, but if something shows up… not right? I don't want my members to know."

"Why?"

It took Jisung a few moments to answer. Why? He hadn't thought about it. Maybe it was because he knew they would worry about him? Yeah… "I guess I just don't want to cause them more trouble. And if it turns out serious, and I can't perform anymore, I'd want to be able to tell them differently." 

Just then there was a scream and crash from down the hall. "What was that?" His manager asked, looking over Jisungs head to where the sounds came from. The younger just shrugged, and turned his body to join the older in trying to find the source of the commotion. More crashes sounded and the screams only got louder and more frequent. His manager caught a nurse as they ran past them down the hall, "What's going on?" He asked in english.

She looked at him eyes wide, like he was crazy for stopping her. "T-They're not human, they can't be-" She stuttered out, "Leave while you still have the chance, that's what I'm doing." With that she pulled her arm away from the man's grasp and began to once again run down the hall. 

"Did she say, not human?" Jisung asked. The manager only nodded his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Well where is she going?"

"She's leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yes…" He mumbled, "I'll get your members, you head to the exit too." 

"No-" Jisung replied, shaking his head, "I refuse to leave unless I'm walking out those doors with them."

"It's safer-"

He cut his manager off by shoving past him, and running back in the direction he came from, pushing past the few others who came running this direction. They were all yelling at him, but he couldn't understand a single word they said. Maybe if he stopped and put all his focus on trying to comprehend their words then he would understand, but he was too busy at the moment. Too busy trying to get back to his friends. 

However, his mind began to spin as he ran, and he grew too dizzy to run straight. He stumbled over his own feet as he turned down a different hallway, causing him to trip. Unable to catch himself, he fell to the ground, catching the attention of a lady standing a little ways away. He struggled to stand up as she twitched a little and limped closer to the rather unsuspecting boy. "You. Okay?" Jisung asked in broken english as he managed to get up and lean against the wall. 

The lady did not respond, instead she moved closer to the male, grunting as she did so. "Hello?" He spoke again, trying to take a step back as he realized she was getting a little too close for comfort. "Please, uhm, please st-" Before Jisung could finish his sentence, she was leaping towards him. He fell backwards landing hard on the ground, but instead of feeling a heavy weight on top of him, he felt nothing. 

Upon hearing his name called, he opened his eyes. He had to blink many times to properly comprehend what he was seeing. The lady who had just leapt at him was being held back by his manager, whose arm was in her mouth. "Manager-nim?"

"Jisung go-"

"What?"

"Get your members and go." He replied.

Jisung's eyes welled up with tears and he frowned, "I… I don't understand." 

"Listen to me carefully Jisung. This lady here. She's not alive anymore. There is no pulse, but she's still moving and attacking me-"

"Like a zombie-"

"Exactly, like a zombie!"

"But,,, Zombies aren't real- This isn't a movie. I'm just hallucinating…" The younger tried to convince himself, squeezing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Jisung, please go- get your members and get out of here. Go home." His manager spoke, fear evident in his tone of voice. 

Jisung's eyes widened as he looked up. Was he… Crying? The younger shook his head and wiped his own eyes, managing to stand up on his shaky legs. "I'm sorry…" He mumbled.

The older male just shook his head, "Don't be. It was an honor working with you boys."

Jisung choked back a sob, as he took a step forward, running past the two. And before turning down the next corridor, he stopped. Was this really happening? If he turned back right now would their manager be okay?

So that's what he did. He took a moment to look back. His eyes widened as he saw his manager fall to the floor. A terrifying cry escaped Jisung’s lips as the lady jumped into the large male now lying helplessly on the floor. 

He felt as though he was going to throw up as he stiffly turned back around and ran away from the scene. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He cried as he made his way to the room where his seven friends should be waiting. 

In a matter of seconds he was shoving the door open, and entering the room. He slammed the door behind him and leaned on it. His breathing was quick, however he didn't know if it was from the running, the scene he had witnessed, or the rising panic he felt in his chest. 

"Jisung?" Chan spoke up, and that's when the boy remembered what was going on. He opened his eyes and looked at his friends, all seven pairs of eyes staring, and watching him intently. 

The boy only cried out, throwing himself into his eldest Hyungs arms. "Hyung!" He sobbed, holding onto him tightly, "I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything. I-"

They all looked at one another confused for a moment, before Chan coughed awkwardly and hugged the boy back. "Jisung? What's going on?"

"Why are you crying?" Changbin added, stepping next to the two and placing a comforting hand on the youngest shoulder. 

The boy however, only cried more. His legs gave out beneath him as he felt the worried eyes of his members bore into the back of his skull. It took him a moment to remember that they can't stay here long, and he pulled away from the hug. "We… We have to go."

"What?" Chan asked, clearly confused as the boy pushed away from him and stood up, swaying a little as he did so. 

"We have to go." Jisung repeated, using his sleeve to wipe away any tears that were left on his cheeks and the ones that were once again welling up in his eyes. 

"...Where are we going?" Minho questioned, speaking up from behind the younger. Causing the boy to turn sharply and look at him.

"Away from here- we… we can't stay here. It's not safe- Were not safe here-" 

"Jisung, you're not making any sense. We're literally at a hospital." Seungmin spoke, cutting off the boys clearly unfinished thoughts. 

Jeongin nodded his head, "Yeah, this is like, one of the safest places to be."

"No!" The boy shouted, shaking his head. 

"Why not?" Hyunjin asked, taking a step closer to the boy, who just turned and looked at him with pleading eyes. 

His eyes were practically begging the boy to believe him as he spoke, "It's- there's people out there. They're not alive- but they're attacking-"

"Like zombies?" Felix inquired, causing a strong sense of deja vu to flood Jisungs thoughts. The memory of their manager still at the front of his brain as he looked down and nodded his head.

Changbin only scoffed, "You must have hit your head harder than we thought-"

"I'm not imagining this!" Jisung shouted, turning sharply to glare at the older boy, who was now standing defensively with his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Jisung… Zombies aren't real…" Chan spoke softly, not wanting to anger the younger. But the boy was already angry. Why weren't they believing him? 

"Am I supposed to just pretend that I didn't just watch Manager-Nim die to one of them!" He screamed, but his voice cracked at the end, as more tears welled in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. 

His members stared at him incredulously, Hyunjin being the first to speak up. "What…?"

Jisung turned around again. He was seriously getting dizzy again. "He- I fell… And I saw a lady down the hallway and I was confused. Everyone was running away from the area. So I called for her… She… she started to get closer to me, and then she jumped at me… But Manager-Nim stopped her… He- He jumped in front of me…"

"That doesn't mean shit-" Changbin grumbled, but quickly shut up by minho elbowing his side. Jisung didn't bother to turn around again and he looked down.

"She was biting onto his arm. He told me to run. I thought that maybe I was imagining it too, at first. But I looked back- and- and-" He couldn't finish explaining as he broke out into another fit of sobs. Felix grabbed onto him before he could fall to the floor, and hugged him tightly. They were all crying now.

Their manager. The person who taught them so much, and practically helped raise them, was dead? A zombie? Who knew, but it hurt. Not physically of course, but emotionally. And no matter how much they were hurting, they all knew Jisung had witnessed it all. So his pain was greater than anything they could imagine. 

"Even with all that information… Where are we supposed to go?" Minho asked, being the first one able to wipe his tears away. 

"We leave the hospital-"

"I know that, but none of us know the geography of Florida. How are we supposed to accomplish anything?" 

They all thought for a moment before Chan spoke up, "I think,,, we just need to get back to the van right now."

"Do we even have the keys?" Seungmin asked.

Chan nodded his head and dug into his jacket pocket before pulling out a set of keys. "Manager left them with me before he took Jisung."

"Then that settles it. We go to the van, and we drive. As far as we can get." Minho spoke, before running a hand through his short dark hair. 

The seven other boys just nodded their heads in agreement. Jisung was relieved, they believed him. They were going to get out of there and they were going to be okay. They were going to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading this first chapter of my brand new story! I personally had so much fun writing it, and I am very proud of it as a whole! It may take a while for the chapters to come out, seeing as I'm a tad bit busy at the moment, but I'll try my hardest to make each update better than the last!
> 
> Once again I hope you enjoyed, and have a great day!


	2. Sunflower

"Hyung," Felix spoke up, "Say there are zombies out there-"

"There are." Jisung spoke up, cutting off the other boy's speech.

However Felix shrugged it off and continued to speak. "How are we supposed to get out of here without dying?"

It was an honest question. Way too brutally honest. But they all knew that it was also a very logical question they would have to answer eventually. Whether they planned ahead now, or ran out of the room and hoped for the best. Chan bit his bottom lip. He needed to answer, but how could he? Sure he had watched plenty of horror themed movies as a kid, but those were just movies. There was no way he could tell that anything the main protagonist did in those movies would work in real life. Letting out a small sigh, he spoke up, "Stick together, and stick to the walls."

"Why stay to the walls?" Changbin questioned, raising an eyebrow at the older males words. He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned backwards, allowing most of his weight to rest upon the small hospital bed behind him.

"I really don't know…" Chan spoke honestly, looking to Changbin, making eye contact with him as he ran a hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it sheepishly. "I wish I had a reason. Something that could reassure you guys that I know what I'm doing, but I have absolutely no clue."

"You don't have to know what you're doing." Jeongin stated, grabbing the attention of the seven other boys that were all standing in a circle. He bit his bottom lip, thinking carefully of his next words before speaking again, "This is… Unexpected, to say the least."

"Yeah," Hyunjin spoke, "There's literally no way, you or probably anyone, for that matter, could have been prepared for something like this to happen."

Chan chewed at his bottom lip nervously as he fiddled with the hem of his black sweater. They were right, there was no way he could have predicted this. But still… He's the leader. He has to protect them. He has to keep his members safe. But how can he do that if he barely knows what he's up against. At most, he's had to push a sasaeng off of the members while they were out, or stand up for them over some petty rule that their company had made. Never has he had their lives basically in his hands-

"Hyung, you’re thinking too loud." Minho said, placing a hand on the elders shoulder, snapping him out of his cloudy and jumbled thoughts.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be." Minho spoke, cutting Chan off before he could apologize further. "Being a leader can come with a lot of burden sometimes. You shouldn't have to make these sorts of choices."

Seungmin nodded his head and made a small hum of agreement before also speaking his mind, "You're the leader of StrayKids, a K-pop group, not a whole survival team. That's a ton of pressure and you shouldn't have to carry the weight of it alone."

"Then…" The older male spoke softly, trying to find the right words to say. His mind was still messy, and he still wasn't quite sure what he could say in this situation. "Then what do you all propose we do?"

"Realistically," Changbin sighed, his voice practically booming through the room that was just filled with awkward silence only moments before, "We need some sort of weapon. To defend ourselves, just in case something goes south…"

The other boys, minus Jisung who was still burying his face into Felix's chest, looked around the room. Some members moved to check under things, and in drawers, while others just stood in their spots, eyeing down the room. "I don't think there's anything in here…" Hyunjin sighed, making his way back over to where they all had previously gathered.

"Then we should definitely avoid the zombies-" Changbin spoke before his words were cut off by Seungmin.

"I mean, wasn't that always the plan?"

"Yes but-"

"No buts.” Seungmin spoke, before turning to the September twins, “Sungie."

Jisung's head shot up at the mention of his nickname, and he turned slightly to look at Seungmin who had called for him. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the slightly younger boy before feeling someone wipe the stray tears from his cheeks. He quickly recognized the comforting touch as their leaders, before speaking up, "Yes?"

"Can you tell us about the zombie you saw?" Seungmin asked, causing the other boy's eyes to widen. Jisung stared incredulously at Seungmin, his eyes welling with tears again as the still fresh memories played through his mind as if they were some sick movie.

"Wait- don't you think it's a little too soon?" Felix spoke up, glancing worriedly at Jisung who he had just passed over to be comforted by their eldest.

Changbin was next to speak, placing a hand on Seungmin's shoulder as he did so, "No. We need to know any info he has on the damn things so that we all can get out of here in one piece."

Jisung stilled at the words, he was being selfish wasn't he? He had told their manager that they'd get out of here, but all he seemed possible of doing at the moment was crying. He couldn't tell them properly what happened to their manager because he kept crying and now, he was being selfish again. Not telling them what the thing that killed their manager was like, all because he couldn't stop the tears that welled in his eyes, and the sobs that left his mouth.

"Jisung-" Minho spoke, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to offer him some sort of comfort. "Please."

The boy only sighed, before taking a short moment to regain his composure. Then he spoke. "It- it was like she didn't even acknowledge my existence before I called out to her. Like… like she didn't know I was there…"

"Maybe she didn't…" Jeongin piped up from where he stood, one hand resting on his chin while the other rested on his hip. "Know you were there, that is."

"What do you mean?" Chan questioned as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean, what if they can only tell where we are by hearing us." The youngest spoke after a moment, wanting to phrase his words as simple as possible so there could be no confusion.

"Scientists do say that hearing is the last sense to leave the body when you die." Seungmin added, gaining a few concerned glances from the other members as to how he knew that information. However, he just shrugged and turned to Chan who looked to be in deep thought.

"If that's the case then it may be easier to get out of here…" He mumbled to himself before looking up at his members with a determined look on his face. "We just have to be quiet." He stated, but after a few moments of silence and questioning looks he decided to elaborate. "Okay, if they can only hear us, then we just need to stay silent. Keep our footsteps light, and make sure not to step on anything that could make noise. That's assuming their other senses don't work."

"But we should keep in account that might not be the case, right?" Hyunjin asked.

"Yes," Chan quickly replied, "So we try our hardest to keep out of their line of sight. We don't travel side by side, but rather in a line. We'll stay lean that way and it'll be easier to stay out of sight."

"Alright, then that's the plan." Minho spoke, before looking around the room and making sure there were no opposition's, before smiling. "Good. Then who shall take the lead."

"I will." Their leader replied. "Just make sure to follow my every step." They all nodded.

Chan moved away from Jisung, who quickly tried to come to his senses, not wanting to be a bother or burden to anyone. He stood up straight, and made his way into the line that was already forming. The line order went like this: Chan, Jeongin, Seungmin, Felix, Minho, Jisung, Hyunjin and finally Changbin.

"As soon as we make it out of the front doors of the hospital, book it to the van. Don't worry about anything else just run." The eldest spoke intently, his hand resting on the door knob. "Do you understand?" A chorus of acknowledgement rang out from behind him and he nodded his head. "Are you ready?" Another string of yeses from behind him sounded and he knew it was time.

He hesitated at first. Chan had hesitated. What if this all backfired as soon as they opened the door? What if because of him, his members die? Would he have to witness it all? Would he- He shook his head at the thoughts. Now was not the time to be distracted by his mind.

Slowly, he turned the door knob and opened the door inch by inch. Making sure there was nobody standing nearby, he stepped out of the room. Step by step, he walked down the hallway, turning every few seconds to take a headcount and make sure all his members were with him.

All seemed too good to be true before he turned down another hallway, a "zombie" only a few feet away from him. She seemed young, the zombie. Making Chan believe that she couldn't have been much older than himself before her untimely demise. Her long blonde hair which he could only assume was once tied neatly into a bun atop her head, was now strewn in every direction, while still holding its place near the top of her head. Her eyes looked to be glazed over with a foggy film. Whatever had caused it, he did not know, but he certainly wasn’t willing to find out. He took note of her rather unnaturally pale complexion. It was a stark contrast to the dark crimson blood that splattered on her skin and clothes.

Only after a moment of just staring, did he realize the body that lay beneath her. The clothes- albeit now soaked in blood, the hair and even the watch that Chan could just barely spot from under the lady’s knee. That person that she sat there eating. That body- That corpse. It looked all too familiar to the male. And then it struck him. Their Manager.

Along with the realization came a sense of queasiness in his gut. He felt like he was going to vomit, but still he could not tear his eyes from the scene before him. It was a thought that would never have crossed his mind in a million years, even in his darkest moments, until today. Chan then also realized that this is what Jisung had meant, when he said that he saw their manager die. He had witnessed this scene from the beginning.

Biting his lip, he took another step forward, making sure to stay out of the way of the unnerving being. He indeed felt the change of atmosphere behind him as he continued forward with shaky legs, and slowly each member turned the corner. Jeongin reached in front of himself and managed to latch onto the back of Chan's jacket, holding tightly onto the black fabric as if his life had depended on it. Chan was about to reach back and grab the boys hand from his clothes and hold it, to try and give the younger some sort of comfort, but before he could he felt a small weight on his back. At first the eldest froze thinking that Jeongin had passed out, but after a quick tug on his shirt he realized that the boy was using his back as a shield.

The youngest couldn't bear to look anymore, and it was clearly too much for him to both comprehend and believe. That much was definitely made clear by the small wet spots from where Jeongin's head was resting.

Seungmin felt the bile rise in his throat at the sight. In a matter of seconds he had realized who was laying on the floor in front of them with a zombie looming over his body. He had half a mind to turn around, and he nearly did until Felix grabbed onto his arm with his good hand.

Seungmin stopped in his tracks and looked at Felix’s Face. He was pale, as if all traces of melanin had left his skin. He looked up at Seungmin then. His eyes pleading for the boy to turn back around and continue walking. This could very well be their only chance to leave, and Seungmin knew that. Felix’s pleas were only a silent reminder. So despite his hesitation and fear, he turned back around and continued forward to their only hope of survival.

Minho noticed the hesitation from the boys in front of him, and with a glance to the side he quickly understood why. Only seconds later, hot tears were pouring past his eyelids, and in an attempt to stop them he turned forward and whipped them away with the sleeve of his blue hoodie. However the tears did not stop and the fear that had crept into his gut, did not leave.

Jisung had recognized the hall that the Eight of them were turning down, but even the mental reminder wasn’t enough to prepare him for the sight of their manager under the sickly looking woman. He stumbled backwards into Hyunjin who quickly grabbed onto him in hopes to comfort the clearly distraught boy. Hyunjin hadn’t yet gotten a chance to see what had Jisung so frightened, and when he looked up he realized exactly what the younger, and all the members before him had witnessed. He felt sick to his stomach, and nearly threw up whatever was in his system, all over the younger boy in his arms, but a comforting hand placed to the small of his back calmed him slightly. It had given him a slight sense of reassurance.

After deciding to put his own fear on the back burner, he once again looked down to the seemingly fragile boy in his arms. He slightly nudged the younger with his shoulder, and Jisungs head shot up to look at him. The sheer terror in his eyes, and the way he trembled was painful to look at. Who knew what thoughts were running through the poor boy's overactive mind at the moment.

Hyunjin nodded his head forward, and Jisung knew exactly what he meant, but it was like he was scared stiff. The long haired boy bit his bottom lip, and tried to quickly think of a way to get the younger moving again. He trailed one of his hands down the side of Jisung's arm. From where he had been gripping tightly onto Jisung's shoulder, all the way down to his hand, and he gently squeezed it. The other, he brought upwards. Moving it from his left shoulder to his face, where he covered Jisung's eyes. Trying to comfort him as much as he could, Hyunjin squeezed the boy's hand again, before pushing him forward slightly. Showing the younger that he would lead them out of the hospital despite his own fear.

Changbin hadn’t known what made both Hyunjin and Jisung stop moving for nearly a minute and to be frank he didn’t really want to know. But he kept his hand on Hyunjin's back, and once again moved forwards just as they did. He didn’t want to look to his left, he really didn’t, but he couldn't stop himself, and just as soon as he saw the scene, he looked away. His legs felt weak and he nearly collapsed, but instead, he took a deep breath and kept right on Hyunjin's tail. Making sure his hand stayed in place.

After a few more hallways full of men, women and children alike whose lives ended way too early, they could see the glass door signalling the exit of the hospital. Chan nearly sighed in relief, but quietly he kept his composure steady, and kept walking. His pace quickened slightly the closer he got to the door.

Once outside, Chan fiddled to get the keys out of his pocket, before breaking out into a sprint towards the van. In his panic he managed to look back at his members who were all following, all of which looked utterly exhausted and drained. He noticed how Jisung stumbled more so than others, and how both Hyunjin and Minho were at his sides, helping him run.

Changbin was slightly behind them. For a moment Chan was worried that he was falling behind, but he quickly realized that he was supporting the others from behind. Felix and Seungmin ran side by side, hands still intertwined, and Jeongin was right behind him, still gripping tightly onto the back of his jacket.

Without a second thought, Chan turned forward again and pressed what he thought was the unlock button on the van. However, the alarms began to blare, startling all eight of them and causing Chan to drop the keys. “ _Shit-_ ” He cussed out in English.

That was a mistake. One he for sure had not meant to make, and he did not have to turn around to know that whatever zombie was hearing the alarm of the van go off, was bound to come after them. He was about to stop and grab the key when he realized Jeongin's grip was gone. For a moment he froze, his worry for the younger took over every single one of his senses, before he heard a soft, “I got the keys, Hyung.” from behind him. Jeongin was beside him in an instant, and handed over the keys quickly. Chan fiddled with them once again, before managing to turn off the alarm that blared throughout the entire hospital parking lot and then some. When he was only a few feet from the van, he hit the unlock button. Thankful that he managed to hit the right one this time, he let out a small sigh of relief.

He stumbled into the Van as quickly as he could, not bothering with adjusting the seat as he put the keys in and lit the ignition, starting the car. He looked in the rear view mirror first, finding Jeongin climbing into the farthest seat from the open door, all the way in the back.

Then he looked out of the passenger side window. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation as he watched his members make their way to the van as quickly as they could, while zombies slowly filed out of the hospital and towards them. Once finally reaching the van, Felix and Seungmin released each other's hands. While Felix jumped into the passenger seat, wanting to keep his arm safe from being squished. At the same time Seungmin had joined Jeongin in the back row of the van.

And once the last four were nearing the van it was obvious how close the zombies were getting. Minho was in first, filling up the last seat in the back row. By this point none of the members had bothered to hold back their screams or sobs. Pleading the last three to hurry up.

Once Hyunjin was in the van, he helped Jisung some more, practically pulling the younger into the van, while Changbin had to just stand there in wait until there was enough room for him. Once he was in, he slammed the door shut, and not a second too soon, because when he pulled his hand away from the door, one of the zombies had practically thrown themselves onto the car. Its face squished up against the glass.

It didn’t last long however, as Chan pressed onto the gas and the van carrying the eight boys was swerving out of the hospital parking lot. The eldest paid no mind to the stop signs or traffic lights, deciding that those were the least of his worries as he tried his hardest to get himself and his members out of harm's way, and away from the hospital where everything seemed to go downhill in less than an hour.

In a matter of minutes Jisung felt like it was getting harder and harder for him to breathe. He felt as though there was a weight on his chest that he could not remove. He brought a hand up to his chest as he tried to breathe, but it just kept getting harder to do so.

“Jisung?” A voice spoke up from beside him. Hyunjin? That was Hyunjin right? He couldn’t tell. “Jisung, listen to me. You’re okay, we’re all okay. We're safe now.” The younger boy, however, didn't seem to calm down in the slightest at the words.

“Hyung.” Hyunjin spoke softly, looking at their leader. “He won't- What do I do?”

Chan glanced from Hyunjin, in the rear view mirror, to Jisung, then back to Hyunjin. “Ask him if he is okay with being held. If so, then hold him, and just keep reminding him that it’ll be okay, and he’s safe now.”

The younger of the two nodded his head, only now realizing that a few of the members were now paying attention to him and Jisung. “Sungie? Can I hold you? Are you okay with that?”

It took Jisung a few moments to properly register what his Hyung had said. His mind was basically a jumbled mess as he remembered everything that had happened in the past hour. His imagination was too vivid for his liking, making everything worse. He couldn’t help the panic that seemed to just grow with every passing second. As it got even harder for him to breath he nodded his head, hoping that Hyunjin would understand that he was okay with being touched.

Without a second thought, Hyunjin pulled the younger into his embrace and began to whisper calming words to him. Knowing that this was all he could do, he hoped it would help his friend.

"What do we do now?" Seungmin piped up from the last row after driving past a fourth car accident on the side of the road. When they had passed the first one, they wanted to stop and help the people who could have been trapped in their cars, but they were quickly reminded of the undead who were now, practically everywhere.

"We go to the airport right? That's our only chance of getting out of here." Minho added, before looking at the two Aussie boys sitting in the front seat. He could really only see Chan's face, but the older looked mortified as he glanced from the road to the radio and back. He could only assume Felix's expression was similar. "What's-" Before Minho could even finish his sentence, Felix shushed him and turned up the volume of the radio.

**_"-I repeat. Due to the sudden outbreak in the state of Florida, all flights and ships are shut down until further notice. The border is currently being shut down until further notice. No one is to go in or out of the state-"_ **

"What was she saying?" Seungmin asked, referring to the reporter lady whose voice they had all just heard over the radio.

"We- We can't go home." Felix said, translating her words down to the basics.

"What do you mean, we can't go home? Surely-"

"We're stuck here, Hyung! Everything is shut down and there is no way to leave!" The freckled boy shouted, leaving the other seven members in a state of school. Felix wasn't the type to get angry easily. He had very seldom raised his voice at his members in a serious and angry way.

Hyunjin looked up and glanced worriedly at the boy before lowering his gaze to Jisung who was slowly calming, in his arms. Hyunjin wanted to cry, but felt that at the moment, Jisung needed him more, so once again, he put his own emotions on hold.

Changbin glared out of his window as he watched them pass so many car wrecks and people who were no longer people. His face was void of any emotion and he paid no mind to Felix's outburst. His mind was too full of his own thoughts at the moment that he couldn’t care too much about Felix's or anyone else's for that matter.

Jeongin had tried not to cry, but his emotions quickly overwhelmed him, and he couldn't stop the tears. Seungmin was quick to notice, and after wiping his own face from any tears, he moved to comfort the youngest boy. He pulled Jeongin into an awkward and uncomfortable hug, but neither of them tried to pull away.

Minho was frowning as he watched Chan's face. The eldest was talking to Felix in frantic english that he could not understand. Maybe he really should have studied the language more when Hyunjin had offered.

_"Are you alright?"_ Chan asked the younger Aussie boy before taking a quick glance at him.

_"How can I be alright?"_ Felix had asked seriously, his Australian accent shining obviously through his deep voice.

_"I know, dumb question. If you need to talk, Felix, remember I'm right here."_ Chan replied, biting his bottom lip before once again putting all of his focus on the road in front of him.

Felix sighed, running a hand down the side of his face. "I'm sorry. We're all stressed, I shouldn't be taking it out on any of you." He mumbled in Korean, catching the attention of the other boys in the van.

"Are you okay?" Minho asked, not realizing that their leader had practically asked the freckled boy the same question only moments before.

"No." Felix responded honestly, a sigh escaping his parted lips. "But none of us are right now, so I shouldn't take it out on you guys. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Minho piped up, "We're not mad. We'll get through this together. Even if it means you have to yell at us a million times. We'll all be okay."

And for the first time that night, Felix truly believed that they would all be okay. Even if that small sense of security would leave in a matter of minutes, he had it in that moment, and that’s all that mattered to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi  
> So I know its been a while since I updated, but here is chapter 2!  
> I hope you like it just as much as I do!


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